Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The bridge was fifty feet wide, enough for more than ten carriages to pass side by side. There was a large open space outside the exit, where two groups of people faced each other, separated by several feet.

Hundreds of people, some at Qi Refining and others at Foundation Establishment, had gathered around the perimeter to watch the spectacle. Some even brought out melon seeds and spiritual fruits, all looking forward to a good show.

Cui Jun stood by the bridge railing, leaning against the pillar at the exit, his face full of boredom.

Seeing Lin Zhao approach, he waved him over: "You're here? Just stand there and watch, don't get involved."

Lin Zhao walked over and glanced around the arena.

Both groups were Foundation Establishment cultivators. The group on the left consisted of six or seven people dressed in uniform, representing a local force in the Immortal City called the "Qinghe Dao Alliance." The group on the right consisted of four or five people, whose robes were embroidered with sect symbols, and they belonged to the Sect Alliance.

The two groups of people, their faces red and necks bulging, were spitting at each other.

"...Have you people from your sect any shame? We clearly ordered that young lady first!"

"Bah! What kind of people are you, Qinghe Dao Alliance? The girl wanted to go with us, and you stopped her? Do you even have any sense of reason?"

"Reasoning? You think you can come up with all sorts of fancy ways to reason?"

Lin Zhao listened for a few moments and understood.

In the celestial city, people drink wine and women, vying for attention and jealousy.

Both sides are at the Foundation Establishment stage, and both have considerable influence in their respective territories; neither is willing to back down first.

He began to understand why the Celestial City needed the Sky Patrol Guards.

It's not that we can't beat them, it's that they're too difficult to beat.

Could there be a Core Formation Realm cultivator standing behind these Foundation Establishment cultivators?

Once the enforcement team moves, all sorts of complaints will flood in tomorrow. The Enforcement Hall of Immortal City is truly not to be trifled with.

The Sky Patrol is different—they have diverse backgrounds, they aren't afraid of offending people, and if things get really bad, they'll just run away after a year.

They've been arguing for almost half an hour, without actually fighting, but they haven't broken up either.

More and more people gathered around, including several Qi Refining cultivators who were clearly from out of town. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the sight – in their hometown, Foundation Establishment cultivators were high-ranking figures, always surrounded by attendants and always speaking with an air of importance.

Who has ever seen Foundation Establishment cultivators arguing in the street like thugs? Their expressions were priceless, as if they were looking at something incredibly rare.

Several Sky Guards stood next to Cui Jun, all watching the show.

One of them leaned over and whispered, "Captain, are you really not going to do anything?"

"Why should we care?" Cui Jun rolled his eyes. "Let them argue. They'll naturally disperse when they've had their fill. If we get involved, the blame will shift entirely to them. Do you believe that guy surnamed Sun would be thrilled if we got involved?"

Lin Zhao followed Cui Jun's gaze and saw that the leader of the Qinghe Dao Alliance, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator in his thirties with fair skin, was cursing while glancing towards the Sky Patrol Guards.

Seeing that Cui Jun didn't move, his expression turned even uglier, and he immediately started cursing:

"Cui Jun! Aren't you going to do anything about this? Are you a police officer or just here to watch the show? If you don't, I'll file a complaint against you and you'll regret it!"

Cui Jun chuckled, pulled out a handful of melon seeds from his pocket, and cracked them open as he replied, "Sun Youcai, if you've got the guts, go ahead and complain. I'm not afraid of you, you're just your grandson. Go ahead, go now, I'm waiting."

Sun Youcai's face turned a deep shade of liver: "You—!"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Cui Jun spat out a sunflower seed shell. "You've been arguing for half an hour but haven't dared to make a move. Who are you trying to impress? Hurry up and finish arguing and disperse. Don't keep us from resting."

A cultivator nearby couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Sun Youcai was trembling with anger, but he didn't dare to make a move.

He was also a member of a local Core Formation family and knew the power of the Immortal City's formation—the party that took the initiative to attack would be fined at best and have their cultivation destroyed at worst.

He could only keep spewing insults, from the seventh ancestor of Cui Jun to the second ancestor of the Cui family, all of whom failed to form their core.

I dare not criticize the one who is the most powerful, because he has successfully formed his core and is now a Core Formation True Person.

Cui Jun remained unmoved, occasionally retorting with a sharper retort than Cui Jun himself.

The two continued their verbal sparring from a distance of several dozen feet, attracting a growing crowd, and some people began to stir up trouble.

Lin Zhao noticed that the group from the sect had begun to retreat—this was Immortal City's territory, and they wouldn't get away with making a scene.

Now that all the firepower has been drawn to Cui Jun, it's a good opportunity to back down.

Sure enough, after another incense stick's time, the sect members quietly withdrew amidst the chaos.

When Sun Youcai realized that there was only empty air on the other side, he became even angrier and started yelling at Cui Jun alone.

Cui Jun stopped responding and started chatting idly with the team members next to him, occasionally glancing back at Sun Youcai with a look that said, "Go on, I'm listening."

Lin Zhao glanced at the sky; the sun was about to set.

He had plans for the evening and didn't want to waste time.

He walked over to Cui Jun and lowered his voice: "Captain, there are too many onlookers. Let's end this sooner rather than later. If it drags on any longer, it won't look good if word gets back to the Core Formation stage."

Cui Jun glanced back at him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes—Lin Zhao was usually quiet and didn't speak easily, but every time he did speak, it carried great weight.

He thought for a moment, clapped his hands, and waved to Sun Youcai: "Alright, alright, for the sake of Junior Brother Lin, I'll let you off the hook today. Quickly disperse and stop making a fool of yourself here."

Sun Youcai was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Lin Zhao.

Who is this person?

Cui Jun has such a bad temper; he can turn on you in an instant. When did he become so easy to talk to?

He carefully examined Lin Zhao. He was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, looked young, and wore a blue robe, but his temperament was calm and unfathomable.

Sun Youcai cupped his hands in greeting: "And this fellow Daoist is...?"

Lin Zhao didn't reply, but simply nodded.

Sun Youcai knew this meant he didn't want to say more, so he didn't dare to press further. He bowed again and led his men away.

Seeing that there was no excitement to be had, the onlookers gradually dispersed.

Cui Jun led the Sky Patrol Guards back, and Lin Zhao apologized and left first.

After Lin Zhao walked away, one of the team members approached Cui Jun and said, "Captain, why were you so accommodating to Lin Zhao? You're not usually this easy to talk to."

Cui Jun glanced at him sideways but didn't say anything.

He didn't want to explain too much—what was there to explain?

He said he checked Lin Zhao's Sky Patrol Guard file and found that he didn't have enough access; he could only see the words "disciple of the sect," and everything else was just question marks.

It is said that he has cultivated a family secret technique that allows him to roughly sense the level of threat posed by cultivators of the same level. When he stands next to Lin Zhao, what he senses is a bottomless lake.

He was unaware that when Lin Zhao left the sect, she specifically cultivated a special secret technique.

It was the "Spiritual Connection Technique" that Lin Zhao obtained from Wan Heling.

However, the effect on him was mediocre. Later, when Lin Zhao returned to the sect to inquire, he discovered that Wan Heling's version was incomplete.

He spent several thousand more contribution points to exchange for the complete version from the sect, which not only allowed him to conceal his aura and divine sense but also to sense danger.

After Lin Zhao reached perfection in his cultivation, almost no one among the Foundation Establishment cultivators could see through Lin Zhao's true abilities.

Cui Jun only knew one thing: this person had a stronger background and was more powerful than him. He was definitely not an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator; he was probably a true prodigy in the sect.

You either don't befriend this kind of person, or you become a close friend to the end.

Offend them? That's asking for trouble.

Captain Cui didn't look at the team member again. "...You don't need to know."

He paused, his voice as calm as if he were asking what to eat for dinner: "All you need to know is, next time he asks for something, don't make him say it a second time."